Apart
by AlarataraWitchIce
Summary: Bella is no longer mourning over Edward's departure. In fact, she is ready to move on. But is what saved her from her pain...a curse? UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright, this is a new story, the only story that I've done (or even started) that the pairing is Bella and one of the wolf pack members. It is new territory for me, so I've been doing my research. So…yeah. Send me flames for not doing the story Edward and Bella, but I won't really care. Oh, and the pairing for this story came from one of my reviewers, named **_SibaSunny_**. So…have fun reading, my Internet-ed friends!**

**Bella's P.O.V**

I ducked my head as I ran through the rain, my damp hair hanging in my face. I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped into the gym. The air was so nice and warm. I ran into the locker room, my boots squeaking on the floor, and quickly got changed. I paused near the mirror in the bathroom, looking sadly at my reflection. I had changed over the last few months.

Because of my recent work out craze, I had become much stronger, much quicker. My hair had grown out, so I cut it to where it just brushed my shoulders and dyed it a slightly darker color. I had grown, and was around five feet eleven inches. And because of my almost-constant working out, I had muscle. As in, six-pack abs, toned biceps, and other muscles that I couldn't name.

I rolled my neck, listening to the cracking sound. I turned away from the mirror and walked into the weights room. I set the weights on the silver bars and lay down on the bench. 100 pounds. The lightest that I start out with. I slipped on my gloves that had the grips on the palm and grabbed the bar. I took a deep breath and lifted it from its holder.

I lifted that set of weights fifty times, and I could feel my muscles aching, longing for a break. But I pushed myself to go a little bit more. Twenty-five more. I finally let myself take a break.

I grabbed my jump rope and started skipping. I stopped when my heart was pounding and my breath was shallow. By then I figured I was ready to climb the rope. I walked over to it and scoffed at the thought that it was my old nemesis.

I scaled it only using my arms. From there, I slid down, my feet touching the ground in seconds. I heard the sound of the door of the gym being pushed open. I wiped my hand across my forehead and started to put the barbells back.

"Hey, what're you doing, handling something like that?" someone called. His voice was rough, rather angry-sounding, and was getting louder as he got closer. I kept putting the equipment away.

"Cleaning up after my workout, what's it to you?" I asked, kind of angry myself. I kept my head low.

"Yeah, I can see that, but girls aren't supposed to be using those kind of weights!" the boy yelled. I tensed, waiting to strike at him. I slowly stood from where I was crouched from storing the weights and drew myself up to my full height. I cocked my head to the side as I was still facing away from the boy. I listened to the muscles pop again. I turned and looked the boy dead in the eyes.

"Why do you think that I'm here when nobody---besides yourself, which, by the way, you shouldn't be here, either---is here?" I asked in my most cocky voice. The boy was staring at me with his mouth agape. "Well, since I am here, would you like a strong, mighty person like me help you weakling load the weights?"

I noticed that the boy was huge. He was at least six feet tall and had cropped black hair. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and I could see he was dry. Maybe he went into the locker room before and I hadn't noticed the door opening…?

He nodded mutely and broke his gaze.

"Well, what do you bench?" I asked, placing the bar back on its holder.

"Uhh…one-fifty." he said gruffly, turning slightly towards me. I grabbed the weights off their rack and slid them onto the bar.

"Well, looks like you're all set. See ya." I said and walked back to the locker room, jump rope and towel in hand. What the freak just happened?

**Paul's P.O.V**

I had been running patrol for Sam when I saw the lights still on in the gym. Well, there wasn't any problem with going on a slight break and lifting a few weights, was there? I proved myself wrong. I looked in the window, still as a wolf, to check and see if anybody was in there. There was just a girl.

She walked gracefully to the rack where the barbells are kept (what was she doing with those? The girls that come to the gym rarely ever use the barbells.) and picked out two fifty-pound weights. She slid them onto the silver bar and laid down on the padded bench. She took a deep breath and lifted the weights, pumping her arms seventy-five times. She finally set the bar back on the rack and moved to a bag that was on the floor.

The girl grabbed a jump rope and started skipping. When she was breathing hard, she moved to the long rope that ran from the ceiling to the floor. She scaled the entire thing only using her arms. Holy crap.

I decided it was time to go meet this mystery girl. She was just putting away the barbells.

I phased back into a human and yanked on my shorts. I barged right in the front doors.

"Hey, what're you doing, handling something like that?" I called, rather irritated that a girl was able to lift a weight that was only fifty pounds less than what I usually use. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for whatever she was going to say to me.

"Cleaning up after my workout, what's it to you?" she asked, sounding irritated. Ha, I angered the poor little girl. But this was getting me angry.

"Yeah, I can see that, but girls aren't supposed to be using those kind of weights!" I yelled, trying so hard to contain my shaking. I couldn't phase with a girl this close. But her reaction was something I couldn't ignore. Her whole body froze. She stood and I saw she was about six feet tall. But I was a good six inches taller. She cracked her neck and turned slowly.

The first thing I saw was her eyes. They were the deepest pits of chocolate. But I could see the anger in them that nearly mirrored my own. She unconsciously scowled at me and I really saw her.

She had short, dark hair, just a few shades short of black. She had pouty full lips that were slightly out of balance. She had a wide forehead that was practically dripping with sweat, and gracefully arched eyebrows that were raised suspiciously at me. She had a strong, petite body that was well-muscled. But not too well muscled, like those 'Strongest Woman In The World Contest'. She was thin, and wearing shorts that made her legs look a mile long. I was still lost in her eyes.

"Why do you think that I'm here when nobody---besides yourself, which, by the way, you shouldn't be here, either---is here?" she sounded too cocky, almost like me. "Well, since I am here, would you like a strong, mighty person like me help a weakling like you, load the weights?" all I could do was nod.

"Well, what do you bench?" she put the bar back on the holder and turned back to me. I had missed seeing her eyes.

"Uhh…one-fifty." I said quietly, searching her eyes for any emotion. But, too late, she was turning away again, putting the correct amount of weights on the silver bar.

"Well, looks like you're all set. See ya." she said in a sarcastic tone and walked out of the room and into the girl's locker room with her rope and her towel slung over her shoulder.

The only thing I did was stand there, entranced. She was perfect. She had a fire about her, her eyes were an open book, and she seemed just as angry at everything as I was. Dang. I the great Paul, who never gave a damn about anybody, who went through two girls a week, freaking imprinted.

**A/N: Did you like it? Did you hate it? Well, have fun with reading!**

**Something has been brought to my attention. I have a bunch of alerts on all of my stories, and I have been added to many people's favorites. But I only have a few reviews on some of my stories. If you have time to scroll all the way to the bottom, click Add To Favorites, and be on your merry way, then why don't you have time to click the little button down there and tell me what you think? I have realized that by being added to favorites, that people like my stories, but that doesn't tell me anything more. --Mary**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This was rather hard to write. I'd like to thank all the people that like to read my stories, and I'd like to tell them that I see the numbers of people that read my stories. I am quite impressed with those very numbers. So thanks, to everybody who takes the time to read this story, and my other ones. --Mary**

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**Paul's P.O.V**

I flopped down on my bed. After running a double patrol, making up for the time I had spent thinking about the girl, all I wanted was to sleep. But rest eluded me. I sighed and covered my face with my hands.

The girl was haunting me. Her elusive eyes, her arrogant smirk, her silky brown hair. Her deep chocolate irises stared hard at me through my memory. I needed to know her name. I needed to know why she was so angry and irritated. I needed to know why she was at the gym at midnight, lifting barbells.

I needed to know _her_.

My body protested heavily as I tried to lift myself from my bed. Tomorrow, I allowed, I'll go and find her tomorrow.

But, unfortunately, even in my sleep, the girl danced in and out of my unconscious mind, never within reach, always on the edge.

The dreams themselves were fuzzy, like horrible reception on a TV. But all I could see was the ground, the dark walls around me, and the girl's face. We were standing in a dark room, away from anything that I could see, when suddenly the girl leaned against a barstool.

"Well?" she spoke in her wonderful alto voice. Her eyes were hard. There was an immeasurable distance between us. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, irritated again.

"Nothing." I spoke quickly, not wanting to anger her. "Why?"

The girl smiled at this. Well, as close as her mouth would come to a smile was a smirk, but it still made my heart twinge. There was something off about that smile. It was wicked.

The girl said nothing, but disappeared and I awoke with a jolt.

A blinding flash of light sunned me momentarily, but then I remembered that it was La Push, and we got thunderstorms all the time. And as soon as I formed that thought, a large clap of thunder followed the powerful display of lightning.

I groaned and heaved myself off the mattress that I had extended for my extreme height. I rolled my shoulders and my neck and stretched.

I wandered to the kitchen and saw that nobody was home. Well…as if that isn't new, I thought to myself as I was looking for some cereal in the cupboards. I found a box of Wheaties. Ah, the breakfast of champions. My sarcastic and irritated thought was cut short by Embry bursting through the back door.

"'Morning, Paul." he said and took a different box of cereal from the cupboards.

"Hello, Mr. I-Don't-Care-About-Privacy-And-Think-I-Can-Burst-Into-People's-Houses-Without-Knocking." I growled at him and chucked a spoon at his head. He caught it and laughed, angering me further.

"Jeez, why so ill-tempered today huh, Paul?" Embry chuckled and tossed the spoon on the counter.

"I don't know." I mumbled as I was shocked when I realized this myself. "Well, I just woke up, you just barged in my house---uninvited, I might add---and now you're laughing at me. Stop laughing!" I yelled at him and started shaking. The burning tremors ran down my spine, begging to be set free. I repressed them, though.

"Okay, okay. I'm shutting up and backing off, now. See?" Embry held his hands up and backed away from me. "I'm just gonna go to Emily's for breakfast, then. Okay?" Embry's voice was patronizing. This angered me further.

"You do that." I managed to keep my voice low enough for it to be considered calm.

"Oh, and Jacob's friend Bella keeps calling him. She always leaves these messages and tells him to call her. In that situation, you'd think he'd jump at the chance." Embry tried to hide his laugh behind a cough. "But Sam says that it's too dangerous for her to come over, or for him to see her. Either way, I think Jacob's screwed." Embry couldn't hide his laughter now. He almost fell to the floor in hysterics. He was gripping the granite counter and breathless. He couldn't even talk anymore.

"Yeah, it's so hilarious." I mumbled absently. I hadn't really heard him after he'd said the name 'Bella'. This made me very curious to find out the name of my imprint. I decided to find out. After Embry had calmed down and was standing straight again, I started my interrogation.

"What does Bella look like?" I asked Embry. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

"She…okay, don't tell Jacob that I said this…but she…she's freakin' hot!" Embry sighed and continued. "She's a petite little thing, pale as the moon, she has chocolate-brown eyes, brown hair that flows to her waist, and her temper could match yours!" Embry laughed again.

I had tuned his voice out again. That was the girl that haunted my dreams. The one who danced on the edge of my conscious.

"I'm headed over to Jake's house." I said and ran up to my room. I tugged on the first pair of cut-offs that I could get my hands on and ran back down the stairs.

"Okay!…I guess I'll just stay here, then." Embry called helplessly from behind me. He waved me off as I jogged the mile to Jake's house.

"Hey, Jake, Sam." I nodded at the two boys who were talking to Billy in the kitchen.

"Hi, Paul." Sam said. He sounded cautious to me. "What's with you. You seem to be in a much worse mood than usual." Jake walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, then looked at Sam.

"Sam, I'm worried. His temperature is slightly colder than mine!" Jake yelled and looked over at Sam with mock-horror. They shared a long glance and both burst out laughing.

When Jake finally caught his breath, he mock-punched my shoulder and walked back over to Billy, who was looking on in amusement.

"Well, Paul, I like you being less-moody." Billy said and then muttered, "So there aren't going to be any more broken items in La Push that practically scream, 'Paul Was Here!'." this made Jake and Sam chuckle. Billy wheeled himself into the bathroom.

"Enough humor at my expense, you morons!" I yelled at them and looked desperately around for something to throw.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Jacob scolded in a sing-song voice. "You wouldn't want to destroy my house, would you?" Jake's face was as innocent as a little girl's.

Sam was trying to stifle his laughter, but that only made Jake laugh.

"God, you guys!" I yelled, exasperated. "What's up with the laughing this morning?! First I got Embry at my house and all of his idiocy! And now I have to deal with two more Embry-laugh-alikes!" yes, I was angry again. A three-year-old would've been able to tell that I was angry.

Sam and Jake looked down and mumbled, "Sorry."

"What up, bozos?" Leah asked as she came walking through the door. She was the most recent addition to our pack, and it could be a little bit awkward at times, but we all got used to it.

"Not much, Leah. Just a bunch of idiots laughing at me." I muttered and collapsed on Jacob's couch. I rolled my shoulders again.

"Where's Quil? He's supposed to have phased already!" Leah growled out. She hated being the only female member of the pack, and that put her in a permanently bad attitude range.

We all heard an old engine pull up outside of Jacob's house. We all looked at Jacob, who was staring out the window with a horrified expression.

"Crap," Jacob snarled and drew back from the window. We all looked at him, wanting answers. "It's Bella."

I was filled with elation. Bella. My imprint.

"Let's go." Sam said in his 'must remain calm' voice. I knew what he meant. We were going to confront Bella.

"Yeah." I gasped out. I was so nervous. I was finally going to---formally, of course---meet my imprint. "Yeah, let's go."

"Jake, if she wants to talk to you alone…then you can." Sam said. I was mildly surprised. Embry had said that Sam had ordered that Jake _couldn't _have contact with Bella. Well, after seeing Jacob's face when he talked about her, I really didn't want him to have contact with Bella, either.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Are we going to get rid of this chick, or what?" Leah asked boldly and walked out the back door.

We all looked at each other. I knew what all of us were thinking. _Leah._

"Let's go see what trouble Leah has put us in now." Sam sighed. Jacob looked positively giddy. I rolled my eyes at him and exited the building.

I could see the dark-haired girl---Bella, obviously---making angry gestures at Leah. Bella called Leah a name. Leah's temper flared. Instead of phasing, Leah slapped Bella across the face. Bella froze.

She licked off the blood that dewed on her lip. Bella's fist clenched at her side, and smacked right into Leah's mouth. We all heard a crunching sound. But, to our surprise, Leah coughed and spit out a white thing that had blood all over it. A tooth. Bella smiled wickedly.

Bella dodged out of the way as Leah tried to grab her. Bella's grin vanished and I could see that she was concentrating hard on the fight.

Leah's foot connected with Bella's arm. I heard a shattering crack. Bella grimaced briefly, but it vanished from her face in an instant. Bella's eyes flared. I was so consumed with rage that Jake had to hold me back. Leah. Was. Hurting. My. Imprint.

Bella's routine of dodging changed. She was on the offensive now. Leah's and Bella's forms seemed to blur as the speed increased. Bella was thrown into a tree…Leah was thrown to the ground…Bella's kick hit Leah in the head.

Bella suddenly moved quicker than Leah did. Both of her hands gripped Leah's throat and lifted her off the ground. Bella somersaulted in the air, and took Leah with her. Leah was slammed to the ground. Leah let out a groan and stopped moving. Bella wasn't even breaking a sweat, but there was blood pouring from her nose, her mouth, and from a cut on her forehead. The bones that had been broken were sticking out of her skin and made the wet redness pool at the floor. She ignored the loss of blood and walked calmly over to us. She looked at Sam in particular.

"What did you do to him?!" she yelled in his face. "You took him away from me! Why?!" her voice was filled with absolute loathing. I still couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Yeah, right." Embry snorted. "Next you'll be yelling at us that rock-stars are intelligent!"

Bella's eyes narrowed at his sarcasm. She walked up to him, looked him up and down, and struck him across his cheek. Embry started shaking. Crap, this wasn't going to end nicely.

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**A/N: Do you like it? Sorry, but I just had to put a fight between the two girls in there. It was staring me in the face. ---Mary.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to **_**YankeeGirlNJ**_**. She sent me a really awesome review. It had light criticism in it (which I always appreciate in a reviewer) and it was complementing me and (please, appreciate the emphasis on the 'and') asking me to put some Bella and Paul interaction in there. Wow. Just wow. And all of this in one friggin review! **

**I'd like to thank her publicly for giving me such a review, because I've never gotten one review just like that. It combined so many things and made me very happy in general. So, thank you, **_**YankeeGirlNJ**_**, you brightened my day! And I'll take it a bit easier with the drama, but there's only so much I can do. ---Mary McMillin**

**Bella's P.O.V**

As I was screaming in Embry's face (well, _duh_, I knew it was him. He hadn't changed that much since he had winked at me in Jacob's garage.), I realized that someone was holding a familiar boy back. Ah, right. He was the boy that I had gotten all snippy at in the gym. And I felt an irresistible pull to him…

Bella! He's just hot, that's all. And it was true. He had a beautifully sculpted chest, toned legs, dark brown eyes, liquid-black hair, and the cutest face you'd ever see. And his skin was the color of caramel. He had muscles in all the right places. Not so many that he looked intimidating to _me_, but he would look scary to someone who was hitting on his girlfriend…if he had one, that is. Oh, how I would love to be in that position.

I could only imagine me behind him, him blocking me from the view of the offending guy, and him spitting curses and throwing punches like there was no tomorrow. All to protect me…_what the_---?! What was I thinking? I was no longer the weak, spineless Bella. I was tough now. I could knock the boy out if I saw fit. It did that to the girl…Laura? Lauren? Lisa? Leah! That was it, her name was Leah. Harry's daughter.

I slapped Embry after he said something sarcastic. He started shaking. He looked like he was freakin' vibrating! Jeez! Boys are so weird these days! I was still standing in front of him, and he was staring at me with an angry intensity so stunning that I couldn't look away from his eyes.

"Bella, _look out_!" I heard the boy from the gym call. Too late. Embry was already a snarling, send-shivers-up-your-spine wolf. He was stalking forward, growling. But the boy from the gym wasn't done. He pushed me behind him (I was vaguely reminded of my earlier fantasy) and ran towards the wolf, leaping in mid-air and exploding forward like Embry just had.

A house-sized wolf landed in front of me, snapping its teeth and snarling at the threat. The boy crashed into Embry and forced them both into the woods.

_Werewolves…_I thought chillingly to myself. The day that I had gone walking with Jake on First Beach came back to me. He told me about the Cullens, and that his tribe was supposedly descendents from wolves. And had thought that that meant that they just act like them.

Well, how wrong was I? Very.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Jacob asked frantically as he came over and looked me over for any wounds. There were about six of them still bleeding.

"Well, _I'm _fine, Jake," I said, "but _you _might want to get checked out by a doctor. It's not every day that my best friend turns into a _giant dog_! I mean, really? A werewolf, Jake?" Jacob just looked at me in awe.

"_Well_," Sam started, "Jacob's right. You're good with weird."

"You'd expect anything less from the girl that hangs out with vampires?" I asked sarcastically and motioned for Jake to get me off the floor. He grasped my hand and pulled me up. When I let go, he flexed his forearm.

"Dang! Have you gotten stronger lately, Bella?" Jacob asked. Then he looked over at Leah.

"Oh, right. I probably should apologize to her for that." I said once I realized that I hadn't even offered to help her up. "_YO_! Wolf Girl!" I called and walked over to her motionless form. She wasn't even knocked out. She was just lying there. "Want a hand? I got two!" I joked and held out my left hand. Leah looked warily up at me. She looked down at my hand and shrugged, seeming to wince as she did so. Her right hand came up to grasp my left. I tugged her to her feet easily. From there, I shook her hand. "Bella Swan." I announced proudly.

"Leah Clearwater." Leah said and I released her hand from my grasp. Oops. Wrong idea. She swayed on the spot and almost fell. But I caught her in my arms and scooped her up. She didn't weigh anything compared to what she transformed into!

"Where can I put her?" I asked and looked back up at Sam and Jacob, and the rest of their pack. Their jaws were practically on the floor. "What? It's the least I can do! I slammed her to the ground, for Pete's Sake!" the boys started to shake out of their dazed state and offer to help me carry Leah back to Sam's fiancé's house. I shook my head and began to walk---at a brisk pace---the mile to Emily's house. Well, that is, after Jacob and Sam pointed me in the right direction.

Sam hung back and eventually disappeared into the trees. I wondered if he was going to break up the fight before it got out of hand. I heard a wolf's howl and smiled, knowing that I guess right.

When we finally made it to Emily's house, I kicked the door open. I was glad that only the screen was there, and that it was unlocked. The screen swung easily open and I started towards a couch. I gently set Leah down there. Her tan face was relaxed with unconsciousness. I looked down at my own injuries. I realized that I had stopped bleeding a while ago, and I still had a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist. Oops.

"Who's this?" I heard a kind-sounding voice form behind me. "Oh my! And she's hurt!" I saw none other than Sam's fiancé, Emily Young. Emily started forward to gently touch my wounds.

"'_This_,'" I quoted sarcastically before nobody else could, "is Bella Swan. Pleased to make you acquaintance, madam!" I held my hand out to shake. Emily picked the one that _wasn't _covered in blood.

"How are you still standing? Your injuries would put a normal person on their back!" Emily shouted. I could see that she was angry that I wasn't able for her to take care of. I just wasn't that kind of person.

"These?" I asked incredulously. She thought these were serious injuries? "These are no more than scratches!"

"Scratches? You have what looks like a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist, you're bleeding out of your nose and your mouth, and you have bruises forming on your neck!" Emily gasped and touched my neck gently. Oh, right. Leah had been trying to strangle me there for a while…

"I get more injuries than this walking through the woods!" I countered and smacked her hand away.

"I have a first-aid kit around here somewhere!" Emily called proudly and disappeared through the kitchen door. I sighed and flopped down on a padded armchair. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding.

Emily seemed to care about me. Like Renee had…

No, Bella. Shake away the thought! Ugh…but I couldn't stop the memories of that horrid phone call get out of my head as Emily taped my ribs, put a bandage around my shoulder to keep it in place, (_after _she had popped it back into place…may I just say; _ow_!) a brace on my wrist (who knew that the wolf girl would have a medical degree) and was cleaning the blood off me.

The phone call that had ruined the relationship I had with my mother. Dad had still been at work, and I was alone. One of the worst times that I ever had was when I was alone.

_*The Phone Call*_

The phone had rang, and I had sprinted to pick it up. I hadn't looked at the caller ID, something that would've saved me a lot of trouble.

Renee had been rather…upset, with my lack of e-mail. She said that my responses were dull, so after a while, I had just stopped replying to hers.

I could remember the tone of her voice. It was hostile…but the words slurred together. She was drunk, but the words she said still hurt.

"_Why isn't your father there?" _the words she said were hardly able to be understood, so I just guess that she was asking where Charlie was.

"_Dad is still at work, Mom." _I replied, trying to be patient. My temper was flaring up at her demand of Charlie's whereabouts.

"_Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady!" _Renee had screamed into the phone.

"_I can take what ever 'tone of voice' that I want with you, Renee!" _I sneered. I couldn't see her expression, but I could here her spluttering.

"_You-you dare talk to me like that? I'm your mother!" _Renee snarled.

"_I'm eighteen, I can do what I want. I can talk how I want, I can act how I want, and I can be how I want! You can't control me, Renee!" _I said those words. The other line disconnected. Drunken words are sober thoughts.

"There you go, Bella." Emily said with a flourish, dispelling the wretched conversation.

I realized that Emily had handed me a pair of clothes that weren't splattered with gore. I was clean of blood, but I could feel that I wasn't able to get a shower.

"Where can I change?" I asked in my 'dead' tone. It didn't do anything to anybody…except get them to leave me alone.

"Upstairs, first door to your right." Emily said, her lips tugging up into a sad smile. I didn't realize why she was sad. I looked on at her with curiosity. She opened her mouth and said, "Your face is going to scar, like mine did." she then frowned.

"You don't blame Sam, do you?" I asked her before I could shut my mouth. I instantly regretted my words. That is, until she answered my question.

"No. No, I don't. It wasn't his fault that he is a werewolf. It wasn't his fault that he got angry." Emily admitted and ushered me up to the room she had directed me to.

I wriggled out of my jeans and pulled of my t-shirt. I ignored the sharp pain in my shoulder and put on the tank top first. I put on the gray sweat pants.

"Yeah, she's upstairs getting changed." I heard Emily's kind voice from the kitchen. I rolled my shoulders and my neck.

"Bella?" I heard a rough voice ask from the other side of the door. Whoever it was knocked softly twice.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in?" the voice asked.

"Sure." I replied and put my shirt and jeans in a bag. Emily had said that she would take care of them for me.

The door's handle turned, and I could see it was one of the members of the pack. It was the guy who had pushed me out of the way of Embry. It was the guy from the gym.

"Uh…" tehe, he was nervous. "M-my name is Paul…" he stretched his hand toward me to shake.

"Bella Swan." I replied coolly, shaking his warm hand.

"Bella, would you like to come for a walk with me?" Paul asked, his eyes on the floor. I put my hand under his chin and tilted his head up, forcing him to look in my eyes. I smiled. A genuine smile. It wasn't my cocky smirk, or my usual grimace. It was a _smile_.

"I'd love to." I said.

"Well, then, malady, shall we?" Paul said in a horrible English accent.

I giggled and put on my best 'snooty' face.

"We shall." I replied and smiled inwardly.

He bent his elbow and held it at his side. I looped my arm through his and we started walking out the doors of Emily's house, towards the stretch of the beach.

We walked for a few minutes, until Paul found a serviceable log of driftwood and gestured for me to sit before he did.

"Well," Paul said when I looked at him questioningly, "I don't have a _chair _to pull out for you, so I might as well still _try _to be a gentleman."

"So, obviously, you know that we're wolves." Paul began, "And, of course, Jacob is, too. But that's not the point. There are many…legends, I guess you could say, about the wolves of the tribe. But…one of them…it still actually happens. And it's called 'imprinting'. It's where we find our soul mate. Instantly, love at first sight, kind of thing."

"And you're telling me this…because?" I asked curiously. He really wasn't making much sense. But, then again, I got the feeling that Paul wasn't the most sensible person.

"Because…it happened to me." Paul murmured and looked away. I was a little disappointed he already belonged to someone else. But what still didn't make sense was why he was telling _me _about it.

Did he do that, get my hopes up and then crush them, for a good reason? For no reason at all?

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, trying to keep my curiosity and irritation out of my voice.

"Because." Paul said as he turned back to me. "I imprinted…when I looked in your eyes." _holy crap_. Paul imprinted on me? Me? Paul must have noticed my expression, for me looked slightly deflated. I was frozen with shock. "I can be whatever you want me to be. I can be a brother, or a protector, a friend…" I knew there was one more, but I had to guess because Paul wouldn't say it.

A lover. A boyfriend. A husband. All of these things ran through my mind at the same time.

"I-I think I should leave." Paul noticed my thinking and started to get up. I snatched his hand and pulled him back down. He instantly complied. He avoided my eyes.

"Paul. Look at me." I said. My voice was surprisingly soft and tender. Paul's eyes locked on mine. I almost gasped at the pain that they held. A roughly-skinned hand reached up and stroked my cheek. "Oh, just kiss me, you fool!"

Paul's resolve hardened. He wound his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I started to have doubts. What if I wasn't a good kisser? Edward had never told me if I was good or bad.

All of these worries disappeared when Paul set his gentle, scorching lips on mine.

An burning electric spark started at my lips and ran from my head to my feet. I was falling. But Paul was there to catch me. He always would be.

All too soon, the kiss ended. But Paul kept me close and muttered sweet nothings in my ear. I turned and pressed my face into his neck. He smelled so good. Like the outdoors mixed with the ocean, and the scent that's in the air after it rains.

"Bella." Paul said. I looked up. The first thing I saw was the sky, and I realized that the moon had set already. It was later than I thought, and Charlie would be worried.

"I need to get going." I gasped. Paul rubbed circled in my back.

"I know, I know." Paul sighed. He brought his hands up to his head and scratched at his hairline. He seemed to be trying to figure something out.

"Can you come to my place tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. Charlie would be at work tomorrow, but it was spring break for me!

I saw light in Paul's eyes. He kissed me chastely on the lips and nodded.

"I can come by tomorrow. But I'll have to leave by seven." he said. I wanted to sigh, too. He was _mine_, after all. He shouldn't have to leave…

"Oh, crud." Paul said, looking at the sky. Huge, black clouds started to cover the stars. "Let's get you home. Wait here for just one second, alright?" I nodded and he ran into the bushes.

A huge wolf came back in his place. It walked cautiously up to me and whined. I patted its cheek. It crouched low and motioned to its back with its huge head. I laughed and climbed on him. I grasped onto his fur and he bounded off into the darkness.

**A/N: You like it? I liked it…--Mary**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, here's chapter 4! How do you like that? Yeah! Chapter 4! --Mary **

**Bella's P.O.V**

After Paul had, very awkwardly, dropped me off at home, I had stared---for who knows how long?---into the darkness. An eerie howl broke through the night air. I turned and snatched the key from under the eve. My hands were shaking as I opened the door and rushed inside.

I all but slammed the door, and breathed hard as I leaned against it and slid to the floor.

"What was that noise?" I heard Charlie mumble to himself as he came wandering around the corner to the front entrance. "Oh! Bella, I didn't hear you come in!" he almost dropped the empty popcorn bowl in his hands.

"Yeah, I just got back." I muttered and passed him. He caught me by the wrist and set the bowl down.

"How'd it go with Jake?" he asked. I could see in his eyes that he was desperate for good news. Good for him, I had good news to tell him.

"We made up. Everything got straightened out. Thanks for asking, Dad." I got free of his grip and walked up the stairs.

I grabbed my bag of toiletries and a pair of dark purple sweats and a light purple tank top.

I stood in the shower for a good, long fifteen minutes. I breathed in the scent of my favorite shampoo. It relaxed me slightly.

My muscles soon became loose. I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off. I found myself---once again---thinking of Paul. What? Bella, Bella Swan, going soft? Unheard of!

I slipped into the nightclothes that I'd picked out and padded off to my room. I noticed that I hadn't locked my window. Oops! Quickly, I walked forward and slid the lock on the window closed.

My head sank gratefully into my pillow as I tried to get some sleep.

~o~o~o~0~o~o~o~

When I awoke, I felt more refreshed than I had after my fourteen hour sleep when I got back from Volterra. I smiled sleepily when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

I sat up and rubbed at my eyes.

"Come in," I called. I heard the knob turning.

"Bella?" I heard the voice of Paul say, "Good morning!" he smiled, showing his teeth. He stepped through the door and I saw he was only wearing shorts---as usual.

"Morning, Paul!" I cried happily and launched myself at him. He caught me and swung me around while kissing me on the mouth. I sighed and he let me down.

"How's my best girl this morning?" Paul asked. I saw a mischievous flash in his eyes. I grinned.

"She's great." it was odd that I was talking about myself in third-person, but I decided to go along with it.

"You're sure?" Paul ruffled my hair.

"Wait, where's my dad? How'd you get in my house, anyway?" how had he gotten permission from Charlie to get up here while I was still sleeping?

"Charlie is at work; he had to go in early today. Some kids on the Rez were being rowdy and thought it'd be fun to mess with some girls." Paul said, looking around my room. "I think that to get in here again, I'll either have to tell Charlie that we're dating, or I'll have to climb the tree and come in through the window."

"No window!" I yelled, and then clapped my hands over my mouth. Not a good idea. I blushed. The first time in two years.

"Why not, Bells?" Paul asked, peeling my hands away from my face. "Hey, no crying. What's wrong?" my eyes started to tear up.

"Edward used to sneak in my window when we were dating. If you do it…it'll bring back bad memories. And I don't know how that'll effect us." I admitted. Great, now Paul was going to think I was wimpy!

"Bella, that's fine. If you're willing to tell your father that we're dating, then that's fine with me. It doesn't matter how I get in here, just that I get to see you. That's all I want." Paul said and took my face in his hands. He kissed me lightly and whispered into my ear, "You were really strong, to be able to admit that. To admit a weakness. It makes you stronger."

I giggled and looked down, hiding my blush again.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as saw the time. I was late! I needed to get to the gym.

"What is it?" Paul asked.

"Every Saturday, I go to the gym right about now and stay for three hours, just working out." no need to tell him why…not that he would understand my secret, anyway. "And I'm running a bit late." I explained.

"Okay, how about we both go to the gym together?" Paul asked hopefully. I shook my head sadly at him.

"I'm sorry, Paul. But this is something that gives me time to think. I need at least one hour to think…_alone_." I emphasized. Paul's face fell. I stretched my hand out and laid it on his cheek. "Hey, c'mon. It's alright, Paul. I'll stop by your house after I get my shower after my gym time, and we can hang out for the rest of the day, and most of tomorrow. But I have to be home by sunset."

"Why sunset?"

"Because, I have something to do. And I'm very superstitious." I said, as if that explained everything. Paul looked slightly appeased. I kissed his cheek, grabbed my gym bag, slid some sweatpants over the pajama shorts I was wearing, put a hoodie on, grabbed my shoes, and walked out the door.

When I started down the stairs, I could hear Paul's footsteps coming after me. His weren't that much heavier than mine. Hmm…odd.

"Bella, are you sure you have to go?" Paul asked desperately. I nodded and walked out of the front door.

Paul followed me to the garage, making sure I was safe. Hm…what car was I going to use today? Ooh…the fastest one. Yeah.

I opened the garage door and heard Paul's sharp intake of breath.

I walked over to my newest car and climbed in the driver's seat.

"Bella, wha-what is this?" Paul asked in awe.

"This, my friend, is a Hennessey Venom GT." I said proudly. It wasn't even supposed to come out until next year.

"You speak car?" I nodded, "Tell me about it."

"Okay, the Hennessey Venom GT is a 6.2 liter V8 Corvette. It can go from zero to sixty in 2.45 seconds, and its top speed is two-hundred-seventy-two miles per hour. The price is around seven-hundred-thirty-thousand dollars." I told him. Paul had frozen. I smirked at him.

I closed the door to the driver's side and pressed down on the accelerator. I shot out of the garage at close to one hundred miles an hour. _I love my cars, _I thought.

I reached the gym in a matter of minutes, easily. I got out after parking, and slung my bag over my shoulder.

I rolled my shoulders and walked into the gym. To any human eyes and ears, it was empty, like it always was on a Saturday. But I, not being human, knew better.

My sensitive ears picked up on someone breathing. My sire.

"Ah, good morning, child." I heard a kind voice say. I would recognize that voice anywhere. "Let me have a look at you." I froze where I was standing, as I was told to do. I held my arms out at my sides. "Hmm……." a silence stretched through the room. I felt eyes on me. "Good, you may move freely now."

I started walking forward again, toward the corner. A hulking shape sat leisurely on the padded bench.

"Good morning, Aaron." I replied and sat with him on the bench. He hugged me and kissed my cheek. I didn't like Aaron much, but he forced me to be his mate. And how I was going to explain this to Paul…I didn't know.

I hung my head. The minute my chin touched my chest, Aaron put a hand on my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Hey," he said softly, "what's wrong? Is someone not treating you right? Cause I'll have a talk with them if they mess with you." sure, Aaron was evil and manipulative, but he wanted only what was best for me. Had he not claimed me as his mate, then the others would've killed me the moment they smelled me. We always had to travel in two's, or risk being destroyed.

"No, I just have a problem." I said. "There's a shape shifter pack that lives on the Quileute Reservation. One of the members…imprinted on me."

Aaron was beyond furious. He got up and started pacing, not pausing to even spare me a glance.

"Aaron? It's o---" I started, but I was cut off.

"If you value my sanity and the state of your physical health, I suggest you don't say the word 'okay'." Aaron growled out. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Ha. Like you could do anything about the state of my 'physical health'. We're of the same species. You're no stronger than I am." I snorted.

Aaron snarled at me and crouched, tensing to spring at me. Then I realized what I'd done. I'd made him even more angry. Oops.

Slowly, not making any sudden movements, I sank to my knees and kept my eyes lower than his, so he wouldn't see me as a threat. This was the most submissive position I could have ever been in, and it made me feel weak and unprotected. My instincts were trying to fight my mind.

Aaron visibly calmed. He walked forward and took my face in his hands. I cut off my breath for a moment, but then saw in his eyes that he wasn't going to hurt me, and resumed breathing before I could faint.

Aaron leaned down and bared his teeth. He looked at my neck hungrily for a moment, and then decided. He sank his teeth into my flesh. I felt pain for only a moment. Then Aaron pulled away and licked the wound closed. My skin healed in a matter of seconds, leaving only a mark that looked like a year-old shark bite. Great, now I had a weird story to make up.

"You. Belong. To. Me." Aaron said slowly and distinctly, "You're mine. No shape shifter, vampire, or other werewolf can change that."

"I understand, Aaron." I hung my head. "What do you want me to do about Paul?"

"The shape shifter?" Aaron asked, disgusted. I nodded. "Don't you worry, I'll have a…_talk _with him. You don't need to worry about him anymore." Aaron's words were true, but I could see the malicious glint in his eyes.

I would have to find some way to warn Paul before the next full moon.

**A/N: Like it? I liked it! I have two things to tell you people who read my stories. **

**1) CHAPTER 2 FOR 'AS THE DUST SETTLES' IS UP! And it's the real chapter 2, not that horrible author's note that I put because of the terrible review. I deleted the author's note and put a new chapter in its place. Check it out if you want to read it. **

**2) There is a poll on my profile for those who want to have a say in who Bella ends up with in my story 'You Shattered Me'. **

**That's it! **

**---Mary**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Next chapter! Yeah! -Mary

Bella's P.O.V

**I raced home as fast as I could. Sure, Paul was able to protect himself well; he was a shape shifter. That turned into a giant dog. **

**The only problem was…Aaron was going wolf hunting. He was going to kill any wolf that there was in his rage. **

**We could turn into our wolf form any time we wanted. It was just on the full moon that we really got dangerous. A werewolf was always dangerous, seeing as we have the instincts of the wolf. Defend yourself, strike first, protect your mate and all that. And nothing stopped Aaron when he was raging. **

**Aaron Blaize was a fair person. Well, yeah, he was not afraid to speak his mind,-which is usually what gets him in trouble-cocky, arrogant, and a fool, but he was a fair person. He'd always been nice to me. Perhaps a little demanding, but he was the one that kept the others away. Kept me protected from the rest of the werewolves.**

**Girls that were turned into werewolves had basically no chance in the world. We had to be protected because there weren't many of us. Girls usually didn't survive the change, because most modern girls were weak, used to having everything handed to them, not having to work for anything. They could just sit at a desk and type for an attorney all day for all I care! They would never know my pain. **

**The change was a welcome distraction from the pain I was already in. I'd been empty; becoming a werewolf had filled me with life. Something for which I was grateful. But now I was doomed to live a cursed life, bound by the moon, forever. **

**Our instincts kick in the first moment that we open our eyes after the change. Kill, eat, sleep, breathe, drink, protect. Repeat. **

**And if we were meant to feel strongly about something, we'd attack. Become a monster. When we killed our first person with our fangs, we'd change forever. Become some hideously terrifying demon that lived in the shadows of the night. **

**I shouldn't give in to the monster that waited inside me for the next full moon. But it was so tempting…the monster was so strong…and giving in would solve most of my problems. **

**Like being imprinted upon by a werewolf/shape shifter thing. But then I would loose Paul…which would happen if I didn't get home soon. **

**I pushed my foot down on the gas pedal and my car shot forward. I was home in about a minute. I brought the car to a screeching halt in my garage and didn't bother locking it; I would hear if anyone tried to steal it. But Paul was more valuable than some silly car, anyway. **

**I sprinted into the house and skidded to a stop in the living room, where Paul was standing, looking sad. **

"**Paul?" I asked, breathless. I leapt at him. Luckily, he caught me and spun me around. "Are you alright?" I wondered frantically. He had to be okay; I'd beaten even Aaron with my driving. But I could sense that he was surveying the house from the outside. **

"**Of course," Paul said briefly, clutching me closer, "But I missed you, Bella!" he whined. He didn't even know the danger he was in.**

"**That's great, Paul." I rattled off. "Is there anywhere that you can go that you're protected from vampires?" **

**Paul looked at me oddly and nodded. "Yeah, Sam's house. But why would I need to be protected from vampires? I'm a werewo-" I cut him off. **

"**Because there's something more dangerous out there that's trying to kill you. And no, you're not a werewolf. You're a shape shifter. Werewolves change during the night, and they get dangerous on the full moon." I explained quickly and shoved him out the door. "Get in my car." I ordered him while I locked all the doors, shuttered all the windows, and left a note for Charlie on the breakfast counter. **

_**Out for a sleepover with Jake's friend Leah, be back tomorrow morning**_

_**Love**_

_**Bella**_

**From there, I snagged my leather jacket and ran out the door, opening the garage door, hopping in the driver's seat, and pushing the accelerator to the floor in a few seconds. Paul was clutching at my arm, trying to keep himself steady through all of the twists and turns. I knew the way to La Push, to Sam's house, and I decided to test my speed. **

"**Bella?" Paul yelled at me. I was too focused on the road to see what he was talking about when I saw that we were boxed in. By Aaron's four black Mercedes. My foot twitched for more gas. They wouldn't cross the boarder if they felt the shape shifter's power on the reservation.**

"**Not now." I ordered him. He let go of my arm and shrank away from the power in my voice. "I'm going to get us out of here." **

"**I don't think that's such a good-" Paul started, but I was already in action. I kept one hand on the wheel while taking off my seatbelt and reaching into the glove compartment. I had several guns stashed in all of my cars, so I grabbed one of my heavy-duty shotguns and turned back to Paul. The car hadn't deviated even a centimeter from the inside of the white lines on either side of the car. **

"**Paul, take the wheel." I ordered him. We were going to crash soon if he didn't, "No, now, Paul!" I yelled. He cringed and slid over to the driver's seat as I climbed out of the window. **

**The wind immediately rushed through my hair, making me wish that I'd put it up. I gripped the top of the window with my gloved hand and pulled myself all the way out of the car, crouching on the roof. I cocked the gun and fired a shot into the back window of the car in front of us. I heard the shattering of the glass and covered my eyes, feeling the sharp shards cutting into my skin. **

**The car that I'd shot swerved and slowed down, pulling to the right. Just as I'd planned, it crashed into the car that was on our right and Paul took this as a sign to speed up. I crouched even lower on the roof and managed to stay on. We crossed the boarder and I sensed the cars that were behind us and to our left come to a screeching stop. I heard angry shouting. **

**I didn't know who I'd shot, and I really didn't care. Paul gradually slowed down, so as not to throw me off. I realized that we were in front of Sam's house, and I lowered my gun slightly. **

**I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. **

"**Hey Bella! What're you doing-?" I heard Jacob's voice ask. My eyes flashed open again. "And why do you have a gun?" he wondered cautiously. **

"**Because I just finished causing a two-car crash, and I feel pretty darn good about it." I said simply and somersaulted in the air as I leapt off the roof of my car. Not a scratch. **

**Jacob's expression was just staring at me curiously. **

"**Jacob! Get back in here!" Sam yelled, running out of the house. He caught sight of the gun in my hand and froze. "Bella? Put the gun down slowly." **

"**No, Sam. It keeps me calm." sure, a gun isn't really good protection from werewolves, but it made me slightly less edgy, thinking I was almost safe. **

**Paul got out of the car slowly, bringing the black vehicle to Jacob's attention. Paul looked slightly shaky as he eyed me. **

**The house was filled with shape shifters. They must've been having a meeting. My ears pricked up. The sun was going down…and the moon was coming up. Not good. I pushed Paul behind me, dropped the gun, and crouched forward, lurching a step toward the forest. I could sense a heartbeat coming at a surprising speed toward our little gathering. **

**I straightened up as I realized whose footsteps I heard. **

"**Bella. What are you doing here?" Aaron asked, materializing from the shadows. I could see his canine teeth already elongated, waiting for him to change into a wolf. **

"**Hello, Aaron." I bowed my head, being submissive. Even though it irked me. "I am here because I just destroyed two of your cars." I said simply and raised my head. His cold blue eyes met mine. **

"**And why, pray tell, did you do that?" Aaron's expression wasn't accusing, but amused. Yeah, it was very funny that he had made some of his disciples come and try to contain me and bring me to him while also attempting to kill Paul. **

"**Because you were trying to kill Paul." I stated, circling him. I could tell that everyone around me was confused. **

"**Who is Paul? The shape shifter that imprinted on you?" Aaron asked, laughing. "Why would you care about him?" **

"**Because in this pack, imprinting means finding your soul mate. I am not your mate anymore, Aaron. It is my destiny to be with Paul." I told him. He sobered. Then he glared at Paul, who was standing behind me. I narrowed my eyes, "You wouldn't. You know that he's weaker than you. It wouldn't be fair, Aaron." I warned.**

"**Isabella, Isabella, Isabella," Aaron mocked, grinning like mad, "I don't play fair, and you know it." **

"**Yeah. I found that out the hard way." I said, trying to ignore the pull of the moon. It was nearly full, and the urge to change was strong. **

**Aaron looked down, ashamed. He hadn't played fair when he'd tricked me into becoming his mate. Though I knew he'd done it to protect me. **

"**I'll never forget that." he said. In his rage of me turning him down, he'd transformed and raked his claws against my face. He stepped forward and traced the invisible lines of the scars that would never be there. I heard Paul snarl. I couldn't help it, I shuddered at Aaron's light touch. Warmth spread from his fingers to my skin. **

"**Aaron." I tried to keep my voice steady, "I must thank you for protecting me. And for saving me from all the others. I'll never be able to repay you for that," I said, "but now I have to go with Paul. If I'm ever to be truly happy." I looked up at Aaron and saw his face twisting into an animal-like snarl. He was changing. Crap. **

**I shoved Paul back and lunged forward with a shriek of pain. There was a tongue of flame rushing through my entire body. Suddenly, I was fighting a huge black ball of fur. No, this wasn't just a big ball of fur. This was a big ball of fur with razor-sharp claws and teeth. And keen eyes that watched my every move, my every breath. **

**I attacked it with my teeth and held it at four feet's length with my claws. My white fur flew anyway. I felt something sharp cutting into my stomach and I yelped. I stopped attacking Aaron and dropped to the ground, unable to move. Teeth clamped down on my neck. The edges of my vision were blurry. I let out a chocked whine. I could feel myself melting back into my human form. **

**Black dots danced across my eyes through the pain. I tried to reach up and grab Aaron's fur. Surely, he would let go if he knew he was hurting me. No such luck. Aaron's teeth were creating a hole that wouldn't heal over unless he took them out. **

**My head lolled back, making a sharp **_**thud **_**sound against the dirt. Distantly, I heard someone calling my name, but I was in too much pain to answer. I couldn't even breath because Aaron was cutting into my trachea. I held my breath for as long as I could, but I finally had to let it out. **

**Aaron let my neck loose when I was on the cusp of death. I could barely breath, and I felt a warm hand grasp mine. I was still leaking blood from all the cuts. I was slipping fast. **

"**Bella?" Paul cried, still holding my hand. I took a breath. It hurt. **

"**Paul," I managed to say. He was here. That was good. There was pain everywhere. It was as if I was holding onto something by my fingernails. I was holding onto life. **

**It was just a small spark, right in my soul, the same one that said that Paul was comforting me, that kept me in the torture of life. **

"**G-get m-me out of here," I told him groggily. I would not give in to the darkness, or the tiredness. I wouldn't give in to the monster that was begging me to eat. I would not.**

**Paul gently lifted me off the ground. He walked over to my car and laid me across the backseat, fastening seatbelts all around me. **

**Vaguely, I heard Paul yell, "Bella! Stay awake! **_**Please**_**…!" his agonized voice faded into nothing.**

**I could just close my eyes for…just for a….just for a minute…**

**And then, all there was to see…was blackness. **

**Paul's P.O.V**

Bella was acting so weird lately, and then this popped up?

While I watched Bella fight with-what was his name again?-Aaron, I was frozen. I watched Aaron hurt my imprint. I watched him kill her.

Only when he disappeared into the night and Bella was trying to take a breath I could move. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

It didn't even matter that Bella turned into a giant wolf. It just made us have more in common.

"Bella?" I yelled. She had to be okay. I sprinted to her and picked up the only thing that was attached to her that wasn't bleeding or broken; her left hand.

"Paul," she said in a weak little whisper. I saw her cringe. Breathing and talking must hurt like heck after that.

"G-get m-me out of here," she ordered me so quietly that I almost didn't hear her. I nodded to myself and picked her up as gently as I could. But I could see that that wasn't enough. She was writhing in my arms. A tear streaked its way down her cheek.

I put her in the backseat, closed the door, and ran around to the driver's seat. I slid the key in the ignition and looked back at Bella. Her eyes were becoming unfocused.

"Bella! Stay awake! Please!" I yelled back at her. Her eyes went wide for a moment, but then rolled back in her head and she fainted. In that split second, I saw all her injuries.

Her lip was torn and bleeding, her left leg was laying at an odd angle, she had deadly-looking lacerations all over her neck, and she was still loosing blood. From the pain she was in while she was talking to me earlier, I could tell that at least three of her ribs were broken.

I drove her back to my house, which was just a mile or so down the road, so it took no time at all to get her there considering the nature of her car.

When I got there, I hopped out, opened the back door, undid the seatbelts, and pulled her swiftly out of the car. I loped up the stairs on the front porch, kicked the door open, and ran her upstairs to the guest bedroom. I laid her down gently on the bed, and ran to the bathroom.

I grabbed a fluffy white wash cloth and wet it in the sink. When it was dripping with water, I ran it back into the guest room. Bella was still unconscious.

I gently wiped the blood off of Bella's face. She stirred and groaned. I could see the skin on her neck healing at an alarming pace.

I set her bones right, taped up her ribs, and cleaned all the blood off of her.

Then, I sat back and thought, _my God. What the hell is Bella?_

**A/N: Yeah! I liked writing this chapter! Two boys fighting over Bella! Gosh, that must be very stressful on all three of them. -Mary**


	6. SNEAK PEEK! NOT A CHAPTER!

**A/N: This really isn't a chapter. This is a sneak peak of the next chapter. Because I need more time to complete the real chapter, and I didn't want you to have to wait too long. Peace, peoples! **

**-M.M.**

**Paul's P.O.V**

Bella stayed asleep for only a few hours after I'd treated her wounds. But I could see that she was going to have a headache when she awoke.

In the mean time, I fixed her and myself sandwiches. Then I reflected on the evening.

That boy- Aaron -had transformed into a giant wolf, even larger than I, and Bella had as well. She'd given most of his attacks right back to him, but eventually lost. Jake and Sam had had to hold me back by my shoulders; I wanted to leap into the fray so badly, but Jake and Sam combined had been too strong.

And then, I had made a leap for Bella's fallen gun. The shotgun. I could see that Bella was loosing, badly. She struggled and tried to get a breath into her lungs. I cocked the gun and shot Aaron in the forehead.

He'd dropped Bella, glared at me, howled, and stalked into the forest. I kept the gun trained on where he'd disappeared until I couldn't hear his heartbeat anymore. I didn't care if he was dead or not.

And then, Bella had struggled to take a breath through her mangled throat, and I had held her hand. She'd sighed my name and told me to get her out of the forest. So I'd taken her back to my house.

And that's where I currently was. Watching Bella sleep. She sat up quickly, and then pressed a hand to her forehead, groaning.

"Paul!" she cried in happy surprise as her eyes met mine. She tried to reach me, but I shooed her hands away and tucked the blankets around her again. I kissed her on the forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face.

"Bella, do you need some aspirin?"

"No, Paul. It wouldn't work. My metabolism would burn through it faster than it takes for it to work." Bella said, sighing.

And I repeat: _What the hell is Bella?_


	7. Important Note About Story

First of all, happy Fourth of July!

Second of all, I have a few important notes on the future of this story! So if you wanted a chapter, sorry, but your just gonna have to wait a little bit.

Alright, I know I haven't updated this story in FOREVER, but I stopped hearing from the person who wanted to adopt it. So, I am going to continue it myself.

I haven't written anything for Twilight in a while, so if I'm a bit rusty…well, don't flame me. My writing style has probably changed since I last wrote this story and I think I'm going to rewrite the first few chapters to match. This is a warning for all the people who read this story and want more:

THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY WILL BE RE-WRITTEN!

Once I get to the current chapter, I will start updating it. Until then, the rest of the story will just be re-written.

Thank you for your understanding, and when I update the next chapter, this note will be taken down and replaced with said chapter.

Peace out, Twilight Fans! ~M.M.


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